The St. Johns herald., 1887-04-28
THE DR1EKQUEsT1oE IN ENGLAND.

4 Review If ConVivIal Customs in Early
 Times, and Legislative Restrictions On
 the SaIs of Alcoholic Beverager.
 An English exchange remarks that the drink .luest.on has been difiicu.t pr b lem from the dawn of English history to the present day.
 The earlier pages of our annals record that the Britons were frugal in their meals, wh ch consisted oh e Y of milk and Nelison. Their ordinary beverage was " .er. They occasionally indu.ged in a erm nted drink made from barle :, honey or apples, and free use of it never failed to make them nFnL,ur d ard ready 10 quarrel.
 During the Roman rule in this country wine and other intoxicating drinas were freei cons mel. The bush, which was for ages the sign of aa inn, is trace to the Romans, and to them alsJ we oTe International custom of toasting or health Orin -.i.g.
 The saxon period was one in which in- temperance D. evailed to a fearful extent. It Is stated on reliable authority that even the clergy spent days and nj Shts in drunke. nes, and debauchery.
 King Edgar must be cretited with do- ing d noble work in the reformation of his counlrymen from the banefuI effects of str Jng drink. It is remarked by the R ". Dr. French that the King nearly anticipatei by thousand years the le ,- islatIon opposed by the United Kin Z dom Alliance. Acting on the advice of Dunstan, says Strut, "he put down many a.e houses, suffering on y one to ex st iii a village or small town; and he aIso farther ordained that pins or nails should be fastened into drinking GU or hor..s at stated distances, so that whoever should drink beyond these marks at one draught should be liable O severe punishment"
 ArchUishop Dunstan was equally zeal ous III checding intemperance in the cnurcn. We make few extracts as fol- lows from a code drawn up Gy him:
 "Ler DO drinking be allowed in the church.
 "Let men be very temperate at church wakes and pray earnestly, and suffer there no or mixing or uncleanlineSs.
 "Let priests beware of drunkenness and be diligent in warning and correct f. z others in this matter.
 ." Let no ,.riest be an ale scop nor in any wise act the gleeman."
 The Danes drank to great excess, anu during the time their kings occupied the taron of England drunkenness cast a blight over the land.
 Inc Norman conquest brought about may important changes ill social life. Sooriety was Lot the least of the virtuej of .ue Normans.
 C4miIg down to Tudor times, we find an amo | similar statute passed tO the string IL regulation of Edgar. In the last ar Of the reign of Edward VI it Wa enacted tha. "none shall keep tav I'll for retailing wines unl S H. cen-e |: and that only in cites, towns orpora @, burgs, post towns or market towns or in the towns Cf Gravesend, 5 ttins bou ne, Tuxford and Ba shot, on the forfeiture or ten pounds. And the 0 shall be only taverhs for retailing wine in every city or town except London, which may have forty taverns in York, eight taverns in Norwich. four; in Vest mihsL,r three; in Bristol, six; in Lin coin. three; ill Hull, four; in Shrews- bury, lGree; in Glouce>ter, four; in Westchester (ChesteI), four; in Here ford, thres; in Southampton, three; in Canterbury. four; in Ipswich. three; in Winch CT, three; in Oxford, three; in Cambri 70, four; in Colchester, three, and in Housekeeping four"
 It IS chronicled that thlS le@islation was the means of reducing the consump- tiOn Of intoxicating drink.